this sunday on "meet the press," president obama makes it clear this country is in for the long haul. >> we will degrade and ultimately destroy isis. >> but suggests this isn't a war the u.s. can win alone. >> a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat. >> james baker, the man who built the allianc that forced hussein out of kuwait will tell me if he thinks president obama's plan will work. hillary clinton visits iowa today. many see it as day one of her campaign. >> i am looking for someone a little bit mre liberal. >> is she really as much of a sure thing as some people think? the nfl in crisis. growing calls for roger goodell to resign over his handling of the ray rice case. how big a problem is domestic

violence in this country? what everyone in washington knows but is afraid to say. i'm chuck todd. joining me to provide insight and analysis are mike murphy, helene cooper, nia-malika henders henderson and jim vandehei. welcome to "meet the press." good sunday morning. isis response to president obama was savage and depressingly predictable. yesterday they released a video showing the killing of british aid worker david haines. earlier this week the president used a prime time address to reassure a fearful american public that he is taking this threat posed by isis as seriously as they are. he has promised not to commit american troops to fight in syria or iraq. he is calling for air strikes and providing weaponry and training to forces on the ground who are fighting isis.

by the way, it's striking that president obama sounded a lot like george w. bush despite their differences on iraq. when it comes to taking on terrorist, their rhetoric and policy is strikingly similar. >> trained and battle hardened, they could try to return to their home countries and carry out deadly attacks. >> they are sent to hide in countries around the world to plot evil and destruction. >> the united states of america will continue to do what we must do to protect our people. >> we will take defensive measures against terrorism to protect americans. >> isil is not islamic. >> these acts of violence against innocence violate the fundamental tenants of the islamic fate. >> it will take time to eradicate isis. >> americans should not expect one battle but a lengthy campaign. >> if you threaten america, you will find no safe haven. >> we continue to pursue the terrorists in cities and camps

and caves across the earth. >> fact is, they are pursuing similar policies now. secretary of state john kerry has been putting the hard sell tore help in the middle east over the last few days. it's not clear how many countries will help and how much they will contribute. check this out. we have poll numbers out this morning that show that the american people support president obama's plan to attack isis and at the same time are deeply skeptical that the plan will actually work. for all this i'm joined by richard engel who is inner bill and bill neely who is in damasc damascus. richard, let me start with you. i want to get to this killing of the british aid worker here. the message that isis is trying to send, i saw your report last night. you believe they're trying to send a message to another country, not britain, not the united states. who is it? >> reporter: it's a message to the world. it's a propaganda message. but it's very special to turkey.

isis is holding more than 40 turkish diplomats hostage. turkey has been sensitive about this issue. it's illegal in turkey to talk about the subject. turkey has been reluctant to join the coalition with the united states. turkey would be essential. it's right on the border if the u.s. wants to organize an effective campaign to build the free syrian army, it probably has to be done through turkey. this is one way for isis to say, if turkey joins, its diplomats are at risk. >> they have the best military in the region. let's talk about where you are in iraq. the iraqi military, president obwbama is relying on the iraqi military to step up to avoid sending american combat troops. what are you seeing? >> reporter: we are seeing the iraqi military not stepping up. this is an enormous military trained by the united states to the tune of $25 billion. i remember so many times

speaking to american generals who were here saying, the iraqi army is ready. the iraqi army was not ready. they have not been able to push out isis. it hasn't been able to take back one province in this country. many people are questioning the loyalty of the iraqi army. they say it's deeply influenced by iran. so now the americans are flying overhead dropping bombs, doing american air strikes. you have the iraqi army in effective and guided by iran. >> richard engel inn erbil. >> bill, is asaud happy with the president's plan. does he see it as an opportunity to win the civil war? >> his men welcome u.s. air strikes but they say they want the strikes coordinated with them so that u.s. warplanes

aren't shot out of the sky by syrian warplanes. the syrian warplanes have been in action on the edge of damascus this morning attacking not isis positions but another rebel group allied to al qaeda. we have had the rhetoric from president obama. now comes the reality of those difficult choices, the killing of a hostage is designed to put pressure on president obama. and he does face some hard choices now. when does he take action here in syria? and where does he strike isis? who are the moderate rebels who might retake the ground after u.s. air strikes? pressure on president obama now to deliver on intentions here in syria. >> bill neely in damascus for us. thanks very much. stay safe as you travel in that country. you heard live reports in iraq and syria. earlier i spoke to denis

mcdonough. welcome back. >> thanks for having me. >> let me start with this issue of terminology. i asked the president last week about whether he was preparing the country for war. he pushed back, said this is not a war. he has not used the terminology war. and yet there seem to be this debate about semantics between the pentagon, josh earnest. why are you calling a war on isis and why has the president been hesitant to call it a war. >> you asked if he was preparing the country for war. he was preparing for this against isil. that's what we are doing. there was no debate between the white house and pentagon. you heard kerry, the pentagon and josh on friday under score that inasmuch as we have been at war with al qaeda, we are at war are isis. >> the democrats in general, you don't like to refer to these -- to this attack on al qaeda as a war. you didn't like the phrase war

on terror. is that what this is about? >> well, no, chuck. you're confusing our position with a againization. this effort against isil we will undertake with a broad coalition. it's not like the war in iraq. but rather this is something that is targeted and it's a war we have to win. >> we have polling that we're just releasing this more than. 62% of the country supports what the president wants to do. 68% don't believe it will work. why do you think that the public is supportive but skeptical that this will work? >> this is obviously a complicated effort. that's why the president is going about this in a very painstaking and very prudent fashion. that's why the secretary of state is now just continuing his efforts to travel throughout the region to get others to join us

in this effort. and that's what we're going to do. we're going to lead an international effort. this is not going to be easy. >> what does success look like? >> success looks like an isil that no longer threatenso s our frie friends, can't accumulate followers and threaten muslims in syria, iraq or otherwise. and that's exactly what success looks like. >> he held up yemen and say that's a good example. >> he held up yemen and somalia as how we carry this out. we will do this using our precise airborne capabilities, supporting non-u.s., that is to say syrian opposition or ira ta the fight to isil. he is holding them up as examples of how we will do this. >> is there a single country that has pledged combat troops on the ground in syria? >> you will hear from kerry on

this over the coming days. what he has said is others have suggested they are will doing that. we are looking for -- >> wait a minute. why the no. >> we are trying to put together specifics of what we will get. that's what the president will talk to john allen about on tuesday. as we begin to put this coalition together in very concrete fashion. >> there's not a single military adviser that has come to you and said you can defeat isis in syria without combat troops? that's a fact. >> that's a fact. that's the president's view. that's what we need congress to do. we're seeing very good progress on this is to put together support for what the president calls a title 10 program to train and equip the syrian opposition on the ground fighting isil. >> you bring that up. the president very skeptical of this opposition a month ago in an interview. now, suddenly, this is the great hope? >> i think you overstate that.

i don't think anybody called it the great hope. we all recognize we need a ground force of syrians, of a sunni force fighting isil in syria, the same way we will have iraqi forces on the ground in iraq. this is backed up by u.s. air power. >> i'm going to ask this another way. if you know you need combat troops on the ground. you don't have any countries that have pledged to do it yet. i understand you are saying some will come in. >> i didn't say that. i said -- >> there are countries that have pledged? >> you will hear from secretary kerry that countries are saying that they're ready to do that and they're ready to fly with us. we're going to get to that in due time. >> can you pledge for sure that there will never be american combat troops on the ground in syria? >> you heard what the president said, including his address to the country. this is an effort that like in yemen and somalia, we will take to the fight to the enemy without putting ground troops into the effort. we need ground op